Patriots play does the talking against big-mouthed Bears

Gary Guyton delivers

Credit: Matt Stone

OUT OF REACH: Running back BenJarvus Green-Ellis leaves Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher behind as
he runs for a nice gain during the Pats’ rout yesterday in Chicago.

CHICAGO — The question of who would replace suspended linebacker Brandon Spikes wasn’t much of a question at all.

The run-stuffing Patriots rookie beat out Gary Guyton for the starting job alongside Jerod Mayo in training camp, so it was Guyton’s turn to earn redemption when Spikes failed a drug test last week. (He didn’t clear his attention deficit disorder medication with the league.)

It was like Guyton had never left.

He turned in two of the game’s biggest plays, both of which were turnovers.

In the second quarter of the Patriots’ 36-7 victory, cornerback Devin McCourty stripped receiver Johnny Knox of the ball, and Guyton was there to scoop it up and race 35 yards down the sideline for a score to make it 21-0 just 20 minutes into the game.

It was his second touchdown of the season, the first coming in the opener on an interception return against the Bengals.

In the third quarter, Guyton stepped in front of a pass by quarterback Jay Cutler on the Patriots 16-yard line to record an interception.

Moore shows up

Eric Moore made some people chuckle when he spoke of the talent in the UFL, where he played before signing with the Patriots on Dec. 3.

“It’s not that much of a drop-off,” said the 6-foot-4, 268-pounder.

The defensive end’s biggest statement came on the field yesterday. Moore had a sack and a forced fumble, and also recorded a tackle for a loss.

Bring a shovel

By the time the Patriots and Bears began play, the crew at Soldier Field had already been working for hours. They shoveled the tarp four times before removing it.

Still, by kickoff, one could barely see the lines, which is why during every break, the crew did their best to make the lines visible. At halftime, they took a snowplow to several portions of the field, only to have the snow cover it up.

Strife of Brian

Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski was told this week that quarterback Tom Brady has the game’s highest passer rating when targeting him.

“Cool,” the rookie said. “But stats don’t matter.”

He may not be interested in this stat, but after Brady found Gronkowski for a 7-yard touchdown in front of Pro Bowler Brian Urlacher, he had his seventh score. That’s tied for third in NFL history for rookies at his position.

Graham weathers storm

Shayne Graham looked confused at questions during the week about kicking in wintry conditions. A longtime Bengals player, he’s dealt with it all.

And that was clear, despite a frisky wind, when the veteran drilled field goals of 30, 25 and 29 yards without missing a beat. He did, however, botch an extra point.

“That’s always something you deal with,” Graham said of the cold. “I’ve played single-degree-digit games before, below-zero games, I’ve played in 90-degree games. (The ball) is still the same shape.”

Injured players

The Patriots dealt with a few injuries yesterday. First they lost veteran defensive lineman Gerard Warren midway through the second quarter to a knee injury. He returned later.

McCourty left with a rib injury late in the first half, but not before his forced fumble.

Defensive lineman Ron Brace also left with a head injury, and defensive back Kyle Arrington was shaken up.

No Meriweather

Early on, the Patriots played defense without Pro Bowler Brandon Meriweather. Instead, it was second-year player Patrick Chung and veteran James Sanders. Perhaps, in the slush and snow, the Patriots wanted their surest tacklers.

But in the nickel and dime packages, Jarrad Page and Darius Butler got the nod.

Of his return to the lineup, Butler said, “It was good, but hopefully it carries on.”

Meriweather did have a late interception.

Missed chances

The Bears may have laid down for the machine-like Patriots offense, but they had their chances to break Brady’s string of games without an interception.

On an early drive, Urlacher tipped a Brady pass into the end zone, but safety Chris Harris watched it slip through his fingers.

Urlacher also saw two picks fall through his fingertips. While both grabs would have been stellar plays, he couldn’t corral either.